New Year's Resolution

I don't know about anyone else, but I rarely make New Year's resolutions.   I don't know why I don't like making resolutions as I have in the past, it just seems trite to make a resolution because it is a New Year.  If anyone is going to commit to making some sort of change in their life, why wait till the New Year to do so.  If you think more practically about it, New Year's is perhaps the worst time to make a resolution and actually follow through with it.  New Year's is what many consider to be the end of the holiday season, however, along with that end comes a return to work for many as well as children returning to school.  The craziness doesn't end just because the holiday season is over, it just transforms itself back into every day life and trying to get back into schedules that were mostly abandoned before the holiday season.  We can even take it a step further and say that because New Year's (at least for half the world) falls near the time of very little day light, more people are apt to huddle indoors, get depressed, and relax instead of getting themselves geared up to do something new.  Yet, while what I just described the reason's for people not setting New Year's resolutions, there are many who find this the perfect time to start anew.  I just personally feel that if you are going to embark on some life changing movement, why not start when you have the idea.  I personally think it makes more sense to set a date when you want to make a change in your life and just do it.  Or even better, why not set the goal on New Year's and then spend the next dark month of January figuring out how you will go about implementing that change?  That's just my opinion on the whole matter.  Personally, I set my resolution before New Year's, about 2 weeks before to be specific. 

What's my resolution you ask?  Quite simply, to go out of my way to help other's.  To break it down even more, I am resolving to commit more random acts of kindness in my everyday life.  I am striving to be more mindful of those around me, friend, family member, or complete stranger; and not just brush off their needs or act as if I am the only person in this world.  Cynics would say that my whole resolution is just an attempt to make myself feel better through helping others, yet that is just a side effect of what happens.  The real gift comes from seeing the surprise on other's people face that you are helping them.  These days it seems that people rarely go out of their way to help complete strangers.  It is one thing to help a family member of friend, but a whole other world when it comes to putting yourself out there and interacting with someone that you do not know at all.  Over the past few weeks, I have committed roughly 5 mindful random acts of kindness where I went beyond what I would normally do and helped someone else out.  I am not going to tell people what I did because that is not important.  To be honest, I almost feel duplicitous writing about my resolution because it might make it seem like I really am out there to paint myself in a better light.  Well, I assure you that it is not the case.  I am only writing this because helping others has had a positive impact on me and I wanted to share it with everyone.  What is the positive impact besides feeling good about myself for helping someone else?  Simply put, it is often times seeing the look of surprise on people's faces, their smiles, and their gratitude.  I don't actually do it for myself, I do it for others.  But that is just me.  This resolution is one that I might actually be able to continue throughout the year and I sincerely hope that I will be able to do so. 

For now at least, my writing must come to an end and I must commence my morning preparations to get out of the house in roughly an hour, or by 6 A.M for those who don't pay attention to when I actually post this blog.  On top of that, I have a presentation to give this morning that I am only partially prepared to give.  Yet, I often times operate best when flying by the seat of my pants.  Today will be no different.  It will be a long day with travels taking me across a quarter of our tiny little state.  (That's the one good thing about living in a small state, I could pretty much get to anywhere in the state under 2 hours).  So enough of my morning rambling for now and on to coffee, breakfast, and a nice hot shower.